Will Trent Williams be With the 49ers in 2021?
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is using all of his energy to remain focused on the 2020 season.
However, that did not stop him from responding to a question at his presser on Tuesday regarding the future of offensive tackle Trent Williams. When asked about if Williams will "price himself out" following the conclusion of the season, Shanahan answered: “That's stuff that we'll have to deal with next year. Yeah, I hope not. Trent knows how I feel about him and how our whole team feels about him.
"I think Trent feels the same, so hopefully it makes sense for him to stay here and I know it makes sense for us. That's the tough part about this league. We’ve got a lot of good players and we've worked real hard to build our roster up and that's why we've had to make tough decisions last year and we're going to have to do it again this year, but everything's tied together. I know Trent is very important to me and very important to our team and someone I want around here for a while.”
Well of course Shanahan and the 49ers want Williams back for the foreseeable future. They have no alternative at left tackle and, given what Justin Skule showed against the Packers, Williams is a top-priority to lock up in the offseason.
Unfortunately, the reality of Williams pricing himself out is a legitimate concern. Packers All Pro offensive tackle David Bakhtiari was just signed to a lucrative extension that will see him earn $23 million per season with the total deal being worth up to $105.5 million. The 49ers do not even have money in close to that to offer Williams without saying goodbye to the rest of their pending free agents.
So will Williams be with the 49ers in 2021?
The only way Williams will be decked out in red and gold again is if he wants to. Meaning, he will have to be willing to leave an enormous sum of money on the table to remain with the 49ers because there will definitely be other teams willing to bring Williams in.
Now it may be difficult to envision the 49ers trading for Williams in April just to let him walk away the following year. But acquiring Williams probably was never a long-term solution. Surely, the 49ers will explore options to keep him on team.
But Williams' acquisition could have been of the similar mindset the 49ers had when they traded for Emmanuel Sanders. They saw an opportunity to get a talented player that will sure up a position to propel them to the Super Bowl. Once Joe Staley retired, the 49ers desperately needed a left tackle. They could not let their Super Bowl aspirations fall down the drain by letting Skule take the reigns.
So if Williams wants to demand a high-sum of money, which he rightfully should, then I do not believe the 49ers will shell out for him. Not unless they are get rid of a couple other high-priced contracts. Jimmy Garoppolo could be one of those contracts the 49ers consider as he is definitely not worth the contract he has right now.
Retaining Williams will be key for the 49ers in the offseason. The best way for him to take a discount is to finish the year strong and at least make a playoff appearance. At least by making a strong push, he will see that the 49ers are a team worth staying on with at the risk of losing money.
Otherwise, if they continue to downward spiral, I would bet Williams is as good as gone.
